A different mood in town today, where the staging area at the Civic
Center has grown and become more organized. Firefighters from many
counties tend to their rigs and their gear. Breakfast is served, even
as helicopters fly over, low and loud, on their way to Pepperdine's
water source.

The roadblock between western Malibu and town is gone. The Shell
station is open and selling gas. Businesses remain closed, though some
storefronts have lights on as owners return.

Posted 12:36 am 10-23
After many reports of Residents being denied access this evening,
LACFD has verified a joint order by Fire and Sheriff's Dept. to not
allow ANY residents into Topanga, via the valley or PCH. It is unknown
when this order will be lifted. We will update as soon as we can gain
clarification.

Please be aware that if residents leave they may not be allowed back
into the canyon.

RESTRICTION LIFTED
Updated 10-23 8:00 am: The restriction on Residents entering Topanga
via all access roads has been lifted. Topanga Cyn. blvd is closed to
all but Residents With Proper ID. The reason for this restriction was
the Fire & Sherriffs concern that the Mandatory Evacuation areas may
have been entered since patrol cars had not been adequately posted at
the entry points.

Pepperdine officials have announced that classes will not be held on
the Malibu campus today, October 23. Events scheduled for today on the
Malibu campus have also been cancelled as the University continues to
work closely with local, county, and state fire officials in response
to the Malibu Canyon fire. Only critical support personnel should
report for work.

All Pepperdine campuses outside Malibu remain open for classes.

All roads leading to the Malibu campus are closed at this time.
Information about current road closures is available on the road
condition hotline at (310) 506-ROAD (7623).

At the present time, students, faculty, and staff on the Malibu campus
remain safe and it is recommended that they not leave campus.

Latest update Oct 23 8:20 am:
Fire has currently burned 4400 acres, and even with increase of area
since last night, the containment level is now increased from 8% to
15%. LACFD reported the perimteter of the fire is essentially the same
(see below). LACFD also expects full containment by Friday Oct. 26.

Update 9:35 AM: LA County Fire
reports acreage at 4400+ and containment at 15%. Good news, and matches
T-CEP info from earlier. Even better news is T-CEP statement above that
"perimeter of the fire is essentially the same."

I just drove from Trancas to Cross Creek and back and the city's
getting back to normal. Tancas Market is open, as is the Starbucks
there. Lots of espresso, pastries and war stories. No newspapers, but
people are being pretty good about sharing.Trancas Chevron, the Point
Dume gas station, the 76 station near Corral, and the Chevron next to
Malibu Urgent Care still closed. Shell at Cross Creek still seems to
be the only game in town.

Ralphs and CVS both open. Parking lot filling up with people shopping,
staring, and taking pix like the one below.

Lots of tents going up at the command center at the Civic Center,
presumably so firefighters can get some sleep. Water drops continue on
lingering hot spots, but scanner talk says things are close to being
under control.

Update 9:57 AM: Lots of photos from Flickr
Check out the following for some great/horrible photos from Flickr
about the Malibu fire. I've requested permission to post most of these
on blog.sudosu.net; when I get permission I'll post them here.

Update 10:03 AM: News from The Malibu
Times
(Thanks to M for the tip -- see his comment below.) Things do seem to be
looking up. This one is closer to under control. Still, if you're in a
Mandatory Evac zone, GO.

The Malibu fire has scorched up 4,400 acres. Flames continue to burn
on the ridges of Las Flores Canyon, but are not moving down the canyon
or the valley side. Fire Captain Kurt Schaefer, public information
officer for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said containment
of the fire is now 15 percent. The Santa Ana winds were predicted to
end today, but officials say they will continue through to Wednesday
afternoon. Schaefer said they still expect to have the fire
extinguished by Friday.

"We have a better feeling about this fire," Schaefer said, "but we'll
have an even better feeling once the Santa Ana winds go away.

* Check out the Malibu Times' amazing photo of a water drop.* Malibu
Surfside News has this photo gallery.

* Some Fire Stats:

About 4,500 acres burned.
No injuries or fatalities.
Fire nearly 20 percent contained.
Officials peg Friday as probable date for fire, which still burns in
the Las Flores are, to be completely out.
Winds, now intermittent, expected to end on Wednesday.

Pepperdine officials have announced that classes will not be held on
the Malibu campus today, October 23. Events scheduled for today on the
Malibu campus have also been cancelled as the University continues to
work closely with local, county, and state fire officials in response
to the Malibu Canyon fire. Only critical support personnel should
report for work.

All Pepperdine campuses outside Malibu remain open for classes.

All roads leading to the Malibu campus are closed at this time.
Information about current road closures is available on the road
condition hotline at (310) 506-ROAD (7623).

At the present time, students, faculty, and staff on the Malibu campus
remain safe and it is recommended that they not leave campus.

NASA satellites continue to capture remarkable new images of the
wildfires raging in Southern California. At least 14 massive fires are
reported to have scorched about 425 square miles from north of Los
Angeles to southeast of San Diego.These latest images, captured by
NASA satellites on the afternoon of October 22, show the thick,
billowing smoke coming off the numerous large fires and spreading over
the Pacific Ocean. Fire activity is outlined in red.

Update 10:20 AM -- SUMMARY: Things appear to be looking up for the
Malibu / Canyon fire. It hasn't moved much from where it was last night,
and containment figures are up. A change in wind direction means all
bets are off, and there could still be houses very close to the fire
that are threatened -- but for everyone else, things are looking up.
Fires elsewhere in the state aren't cooperating as much, and there's
lots of bad news from those fires. The Western side of the Malibu /
Canyon fire appears to be under control, and the Eastern side appears to
be holding. If you are in a mandatory evacuation area, you should still
GET OUT IMMEDIATELY. If you are in a voluntary evacuation area, use your
own judgement based on this and other news sources, and what you can see
and smell for yourself.

Update 11:06 AM: Very few updates, probably because the fire appears
to be standing still. Good news from
Brett
in a comment on yesterday's updates:

I just went up to the top of the hill where I live, overlooking the
ridge by Stunt and Las Flores area, looks much better than yesterday,
no planes, no smoke visible, winds still strong in our favor.

Update 11:30 AM: The most-excellent M superimposed the very vague
Malibu City Fire Map from 6 AM today on a map with roads and etc. that
we can actually read. Click the map for image size options. Full-size
version
here.
Thanks very much,
M
This pretty much confirms what we already know. (And because the fire
hasn't moved much, this is probably still accurate.) News to me was the
small area of fire BETWEEN Las Flores and Topanga, by PCH. I haven't
heard any mention of that from anyone. I'll be updating the Google Map
shortly. M said in an instant message (and I agree): "Definitely heard
nothing, but it could possibly match up with the reports that lower
topanga had been under evac orders for a while."

Residents are now able to go in and out of the Canyon with proper ID.
Restrictions will be upheld in Zone 8. There will be no traffic into
Zone 8, which begins at Tuna Canyon and Saddle Peak. Both roads are
closed and Sheriffs are posted.

Update 12:01 PM Updated the Google
Map
with the info that M provided from the Malibu City Fire Map.
[googlemaps
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&om=1&t=h&s=AARTsJoAJrdDCOo8v9Ig47y6MDKkUnuhQw&msa=0&msid=110445133727901355192.00043d057b853a9fa91c6&ll=34.072284,-118.659554&spn=0.099535,0.145912&z=12&output=embed&w=425&h=350]

Update 12:14 PM: Krystal pointed me to a list of fire
maps -- many have been
linked previously on this site, but others are new -- they cover all of
SoCal, focusing on the San Diego fires, as they are the largest and most
serious at the moment.

On Tuesday, October 23, at 7:00 p.m., the Los Angeles County Fire
Department and the City of Malibu will conduct a community meeting to
provide information regarding the Canyon Fire incident. Officials will
discuss the current status and projections for lifting evacuation
orders and re-opening roads. City officials, Sheriff's Department
representativea and Animal Control representatives will also be on
hand to provide information and answer questions. This meeting will be
held at Malibu High School, 30215 Morning View Drive.For those
residents who are unable to attend the Tuesday meeting due to any
remaining road closures, a second meeting will be held on Wednesday,
October 24, at 7:00 p.m. at the Agoura / Calabasas Community Center
located at 27040 Malibu Hills Road in Calabasas.

I won't be there, but I'm thinking that T-CEP and other news sources
will cover it. If you're going to be there, please send me notes from
the meeting to jschofield@gmail.com.

LA County Fire is reporting 22
structures damaged or destroyed in the Malibu / Canyon fire.

City of Malibu has updated road closure information:

While it is understandable that residents, business owners, and those
who work in Malibu are anxious for roads to open, please note that
roads must be kept clear for Fire and Sheriff's personnel and for the
many utility employees who are working to restore telephone, electric,
and cable service. Please comply with road closures and stay out of
the area unless absolutely necessary.Road closures: The following are
"hard" road closures - closed to everyone, including residents:

* Malibu Canyon from Civic Center to Piuma
* PCH between Webb Way and Las Flores
* Schueren Road from south Saddle Peak and Stunt
* Piuma at Schueren
* Saddle Peak east of Schueren
* Tuna Canyon between PCH and Saddle Peak

PCH is open from the eastern city limits to Las Flores and from the
western city limits to Webb Way. However, you will not be able to get
past those points, even if you are a resident.

This information was provided by the Fire Department as of October 23
at 12:30 p.m.

Please note that road closures are subject to change as conditions
change. The information provided here is based on information provided
to us by the Fire and Sheriff's Departments.

I'll call T-CEP to see if I can confirm that the voluntary evacuation
orders have been rescinded.

Update 1:20 PM E-mail from SREWolf that I'm publishing verbatim:

Hey, your blog and maps have been very useful. However, please double
check the meaning of the pink area near big
rock on the Malibu 6am map before announcing bundles of new fire
flames on your maps, you have people panicking on Topanga Online.
The pink is a different color and the boundaries are demarcated
differently than the fire area, so it probably means something
different. I called T-Cep and they have nothing for that area on
their fire perimeter map for 8am this morning. I called LACFD in
Malibu just a few minutes ago and the fireman who answered didn't
know what the pink was, guessed that it was marking areas which are
evacuated

Also you might want to add a new symbol for extinguished fire (as
opposed to active).

Please pass this on to M as well. Thanks again for all your great
information.

I'll look into updating the Google Map to show extinguished areas. Fire
appears to be out on Western front, but I have no idea what extent of
fire is at Eastern side. I've heard reports that it's limited to Las
Flores canyon, but I'm really not sure. If anyone has any confirmed
information, please send it to me and I'll update the map with that
info. E-mail is jschofield@gmail.com.

Update 1:26 PM: Good news! I called T-CEP; they confirm that
voluntary evacuation orders have been lifted. All mandatory evacuation
orders continue unchanged.

Update 1:29 PM: List of County Road Closures [dead link]

Updated 1:36 PM: Updated Google
Map.
Fires in area along PCH between Las Flores and Topanga changed from fire
symbols to question marks; they seem like they're not likely to be a
fire. Removed voluntary evacuation symbols. Changed some fire symbols on
Eastern side of map to green. (There is no black fire symbol.) Would
love to change more red fires to green; please send info to
jschofield@gmail.com. (And if I've missed a notice in one of the items
I've posted that should have changed a red to green, please let me know.
There's a lot going on here; I may have missed some.)

Update 1:48 PM: M sent me an updated burn map with the questionable
area between Las Flores and Topanga removed. (View in
highest-detail.)

Update 2:15 PM I have updated the Google Maps
page
to reflect the road closures on the LA County
page. Things to
note: It did not mention the residents-only closure at Topanga &
Mulholland. Coupled with the lifting of the voluntary evacuation from
the Northern Topanga Canyon area, that's probably correct. I took it
out. Also, "Latigo Canyon Road @ Mile Marker 2.08" is closed; open to
residents only. I have no idea where mile marker 2.08 is; placement of
that road closure is approximate.

At least 4400 acres burned, 15% Contained
14 structures damaged, 8 destroyed
Current fire personnel on scene: 900The fire is currently limited to
hot spots in the Piuma Road and Saddlepeak Road areas. The fire is NOT
yet under control and high winds are expected this afternoon which
could cause larger flare-ups to develop.

The City of Calabasas also had an update on Charter Communications
cable/phone/internet status:

Charter Communications crews were in Malibu early on Tuesday to begin
the restoration of fiber-optic lines destroyed on Sunday by the Malibu
fires. Approximately 4,000 feet of fiber were burned near a critical
crossing of Pacific Coast Highway, disrupting cable, Internet and
telephone service for approximately 90 percent of Charter’s customers
in the community.Charter crews are now installing wire strand to
support the new cable. Services will return gradually; first telephone
and Internet service followed closely by off-air broadcast signals and
then digital cable channel. Charter expects that customers will have
service restored between 6:30 and 8:30 pm this evening.

Charter advises that there may be “pockets” of customers who remain
out of service due to fire damage not evident until the majority of
service is restored. If customers continue to experience
service-related interruptions after this time, they should call
Charter Customer Service at 1-866-499-8080.

Update 5:17 PM: I've changed most of the active fires to inactive
(green) on the Google
Map.
This is based on the information that the fire remains only in the Piuma
Road and Saddle Peak Road areas. Please do NOT use this map for
life-or-death decisions -- I'm doing the best I can with vague,
non-specific, and sometimes contradictory information. For instance I
suspect that the fire is concentrated around the Eastern side of Piuma,
and I could mark the ones on the West side as green -- but I'm being
conservative for now. As Brett pointed out in a comment below, it's far
better to celebrate too late than too early.

Updated 10-23 5:18pm
Topanga Cyn, Blvd is open to all with no restrictions.However, at
this time, restrictions will be upheld in Zone 8. There will be no
traffic into Zone 8, which begins at Tuna Canyon and Saddle Peak. Both
roads are closed and Sheriffs are posted.

Zone 8 is closed, but Topanga Canyon Blvd. does not run through Zone 8.
Called T-CEP. They confirmed that they
were just told that all of Topanga Canyon was open from Mulholland to
PCH. They could not confirm the exact location of the currently burning
areas, but said the Eastern flank was around Las Flores and Piuma. I'm
leaving it burning on the Google
Map
for all of Piuma until I get more confirmation.

Update 6:27 PM: Holy crap! LA County
Fire says, "Direction of the Fire: No
active fires at this time." Is that fire-speak for "not burning?" I sure
hope so!

Update 7:18 PM: I'm standing down. Malibu fire appears to be no
longer a threat to inhabited areas; it may be out altogether. Look here
for updates (and e-mail me) if things get more active; otherwise the
need for minute-by-minute updates appears to be past. Thanks VERY much
to everyone who helped make this site useful. My thoughts go out to
people in Malibu and Topanga who lost their homes, and people in other
areas of Southern California who are still battling wildfires.